Dispenser and composition to make ice coffee

ABSTRACT

A holder to dispense and prepare ice coffee, consisting of a first compartment containing liquid coffee extract, a second compartment containing a propellant, a nozzle with a valve, and whereby at least one additive, such as sugars, sweeteners, aromas or a combination thereof, can be added to the concentrate in order to spray a jet of product onto a liquid.

The present invention concerns a preparation of ice coffee and, inparticular, a holder and pressurised dispenser containing an amount ofliquid coffee extract to prepare ice coffee, whereby the liquid coffeeextract with additives is composed in such a manner that no additionalmixing is required.

Ice coffee is a refreshing beverage, consisting of a coffee extractmixed with flavouring which is added to a liquid, such as milk, and ice.

Ice coffee is traditionally prepared by mixing the various ingredientswith a blender, whereby it is also possible to crush the ice at the sametime.

Such a method is well-known in accordance with JP63301744.

Prepared ice coffee is sold in a recipient such as Nestlé's nescaféfrappé®.

For some consumers the solution must be mixed better. EP1020121therefore describes a powder which is better solvable in cold milk.

CA951567 and GR1004081 also describe granulates and crystals,respectively, which must be dissolved in order to prepare ice coffee.

Another method to prepare ice coffee is well-known from EP1098570,according to which a cooled coffee is obtained by putting a coffeeextract in a liquid under low-oxygen conditions, and adding sodiumcarbonate as a buffer, sugar and honey. When opening the recipient, theextracted liquid is spread over the crushed ice.

JP2002095416 describes a method to prepare ice coffee in a transparentbottle, consisting of a coffee extract and a milk constituent phase,including an UHT treatment and an added sucrose fatty acid ester.

A cold coffee drink in accordance with JP11075693 is obtained byfreezing a coffee concentrate with liquid cow's milk.

The main disadvantage of the above-mentioned techniques to prepare icecoffee is that the various ingredients must be mixed with supplementaryadditives. In addition, resealable recipients involve the risk ofcontamination.

The valuation of liquid coffee is expressed in brix, a sugar solutionscale at a certain temperature and indicates how much of the liquid'smass-percent consists of sugar.

According to the “Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, Vol. 178/No. 5, 2006”, apure liquid coffee extract with a brix of 23.5 is stable and has naturalantimicrobial properties. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,695 a concentrate with30 brix is stabilised.

Surprisingly, we have discovered that the composition of our liquidcoffee extract with additives, contained in a pressurised recipient andsprayed onto a liquid, results in a reliable and high-quality icecoffee.

This invention is therefore aimed at providing a solution for theabove-mentioned disadvantages.

A pressurised recipient is filled with a liquid coffee extract to whichat least one of the following additives such as aromas, sugars and/orsweeteners is added in proportion, and which can be adapted depending onthe consumer's preferences.

Our invention has the following advantages. The consumer himselfdetermines the portion he wishes to consume, without having to close therecipient again afterwards, involving the risk of contamination.

In addition, the liquid coffee extract with additives is composed insuch a manner that it has a high antimicrobial and stabilising effect.

Our invention does not require any additional mixing installations,since our pressurised dispenser sprays the composed extract onto aliquid surface, in the form of a jet, creating a mixing effect. This hasa second advantage.

Another advantage is that our preparation method for ice coffee, byusing an appropriate holder and dispenser, results in a layer of foam onthe ice coffee. The gases in the holder and dispenser keep theconsumable contents free of contamination and ensure the fire safety.This has a last advantage.

The invention is detailed below.

The preparation of ice coffee in accordance with our invention consistsof a holder and dispenser, which is pressurised and allows the contentsto be sprayed onto a liquid, in the form of a jet.

The holder consists of a space, containing a liquid coffee extract, anda space with a pressure medium. Both compartments are separated fromeach other. The holder is fitted with a nozzle and a valve to separatethe compartment with the extract and the nozzle.

The composition of the liquid coffee extract consists of an amount ofliquid coffee concentrate, to which at least one additive such assugars, artificial sweeteners and aromas is added. The composition canbe a combination of the foregoing, or a specific selection.

Sugars are mainly understood to mean, without any limitation,monosaccharides and disaccharides such as dextrose, fructose, glucose,saccharose (sucrose), maltose, etc. The artificial sweeteners mainlyconcern acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharine, aspartame, mannitol,sorbitol, xylitol, etc.

In addition, various aromas, both natural and artificial, can be addedsuch as vanilla, nuts, alcohol-free flavouring such as rum, Irish cream,Amaretto, Whisky, Cognac, as well as cream, milk aroma, . . .

It is clear that the above-mentioned list of additives is not exhaustiveand that other combinations are possible as well.

In addition, the additives can be added to the composition in a varietyof forms, i.e. liquid, viscous, powdered, gel, . . .

The proportion between the additives is such that the consumer canchoose the composition which meets his preferences.

The holder has a space with a pressure medium. This pressure mediumpreferably is a propellant, such as nitrogen (N₂) and/or nitrous oxide(N₂O₂). This pressure medium will dispense the product, mixed withadditives, from the holder, through other space and through the nozzle.

Below are several possible compositions, but this list is notexhaustive. These examples are only illustrative and cannot beconsidered as a limitation for the invention.

Example 1

Coffee concentrate 28 Brix: 450g.

Sweeteners : 7 g.

Vanilla aroma: 4 g.

Nitrogen : 2.8 g.

Example 2

Coffee concentrate 40 Brix: 1000 g.

Sweeteners : 20 g.

Vanilla aroma: 12 g.

Amaretto aroma: 55 g.

Nitrogen : 8 g.

Example 3

Coffee concentrate 40 Brix: 1000 g.

Sucralose: 8 g.

Acesulfame K: 10 g.

Vanilla aroma: 10 g.

Nitrogen : 9 g.

As regards the proportion, we suggest the following ratio

Coffee concentrate: 80-90%

Artificial sweeteners: 0-2%

Sugars (mono- and disaccharides) : 0-20%

Aromatic additives: 0-10%

Propellant (nitrogen and/or nitrous oxide) : 0.1-2%

The Brix value of the liquid coffee extract is preferably between 20 and70.

In accordance with a possible embodiment, the holder is turned upsidedown, with the nozzle facing downwards, so that the product can bedispensed through the nozzle. A jet of liquid coffee extract withadditives is then sprayed onto a liquid, through the nozzle. This liquidcould be milk.

According to another possible embodiment, the holder is fitted in adispensing device. This dispensing device allows the consumer to prepareice coffee automatically. At least one holder is fitted in thedispensing device. In case of several holders with differentcomposition, the consumer can choose his preferred holder.

This dispensing device can be fitted with a refrigerating device, tokeep the holders sufficiently cool. Well-known refrigeration techniquessuch as pettier technology, convection, conduction, heat exchange, . . .are eligible.

The dispensing device can also be fitted with an ice generator todispense ground ice shavings while dispensing the extract.

1. A holder to dispense ice coffee, consisting of a first compartmentwith a pressure medium, a second compartment with a liquid coffeeextract composition and whereby both compartments are separated fromeach other, a nozzle and a valve and characterised by the fact that thecomposition consists of a liquid coffee concentrate and at least oneadditive, such as sugar, an artificial sweetener and an aroma or acombination thereof.
 2. A holder to dispense ice coffee according toclaim 1 and characterised by the fact that the compositionproportionally consists of 80-90% coffee concentrate, 0-2% artificialsweeteners, 0-20% mono-and disaccharides, 0-10% aromatic additives and0.1-2% propellant.
 3. A holder to dispense ice coffee according toclaims 1 and 2 and characterised by the fact that the Brix value for theliquid coffee extract is between 20 and
 70. 4. A holder to dispense icecoffee according to claims 1-3 and characterised by the fact that thesugars belong to the group of dextrose, fructose, glucose, saccharose(sucrose) and maltose.
 5. A holder to dispense ice coffee according toclaims 1-4 and characterised by the fact that the artificial sweetenersbelong to the group of acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharine, aspartame,mannitol, sorbitol and xylitol.
 6. A holder to dispense ice coffeeaccording to claims 1-2 and characterised by the fact that the aromaticadditives, both natural and artificial, belong to the group of vanilla,nuts, alcohol-free flavouring and milk aroma.
 7. A holder to dispenseice coffee according to claims 1-6 and characterised by the fact thatthe additives can be added to the liquid coffee extract in a liquid,solid, viscous or gel-like state.
 8. A holder to dispense ice coffeeaccording to one of the above-mentioned claims and characterised by thefact that the liquid coffee extract composition is sprayed as a jet ontoa liquid, such as milk.
 9. A holder to dispense ice coffee according toclaims 1-8 and characterised by the fact that the contents are dispensedby facing the nozzle downwards.
 10. A holder to dispense ice coffeeaccording to the above-mentioned claims and characterised by the factthat the pressure medium is a propellant.
 11. A dispensing device toprepare ice coffee according to claims 1-10 with at least one holder,fitted with a first compartment containing a pressure medium, a secondcompartment containing a liquid coffee extract with at least oneadditive, and whereby the two compartments are separated from eachother, and a nozzle to dispense ice coffee and characterised by the factthat the holder is fitted in such a manner that the contents can besprayed onto a liquid by means of the pressure medium, to prepare icecoffee.
 12. A dispensing device to prepare ice coffee according to claim11 and characterised by the fact that the dispensing device allows theconsumer to make a choice of various holders with liquid coffeeextracts, containing other additives and compositions.
 13. A dispensingdevice to prepare ice coffee according to claims 11-12 and characterisedby the fact that ground ice shavings can be added.
 14. A dispensingdevice to prepare ice coffee according to claims 11-13 and characterisedby the fact that the a refrigerating device can be installed.